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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Pullman, Washington » Northwest Sustainable Agroecosystems Research » Research » Research Project #443194

Research Project: PNW Herbicide Resistant Weeds Intiative: Community Engagement and Integrated Management of Herbicide Resistant Weeds

Location: Northwest Sustainable Agroecosystems Research

Project Number: 2090-11000-010-010-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Sep 1, 2022
End Date: May 31, 2027

Objective:
The objectives of this cooperative research are to: 1. Develop system adaptive capacity by refining best management practices into a management toolbox based on fundamental biology and ecology of problematic weed species. 2. Determine the socio-economic and policy-related opportunities and barriers to adopting integrated weed management systems within traditional and aspirational wheat-based systems that impact resilience to weeds (and climate variability and change). 3. Develop an active and engaged extension and outreach program built around fundamental and applied herbicide resistance management practices.

Approach:
Objective 1 Biology-Based Theme: Conduct herbicide resistance surveys, evaluate weed seedbank dynamics among tillage systems and crop rotations, the timing of viable seed production based on emergence timing, and germination ecology (including temperature, moisture, light requirements), and assess moisture requirement for the activation of soil-applied herbicides for use in decision support tools. Special focus will be on problematic weeds (e.g., Italian ryegrass, cheatgrass, wild oat, common lambsquarters, kochia, Russian-thistle) in PNW cropping systems. Objective 2 Socio-economic Theme: Develop and administer a regional survey of grower perceptions on herbicide resistance, and provide support for interested communities to establish and maintain a cooperative weed control zone. In addition, develop a co-innovation structure to facilitate grower integration into the initiative, and evaluate social aspects of co-innovation. Objective 3 Extension and Outreach Program: Foster cooperation through a precision farming network, utilizing innovative or new approaches for co-knowledge production. Evaluate and report outcomes and impacts to stakeholders utilizing traditional and novel methods, including surveys.